Quick update that I always seem to forget about: most of these characters are NOT MINE, unfortunately. Anything you recognize as being Colfer's is his. The fluff is mine :)

BACK TO SCHOOL

Viola had never really liked school. She tolerated it, chatted with classmates, pretended to pay attention in class, easily aced any exam she was given, but she found nothing to enjoy it the experience. At least, not until recently, at St. Bartleby's. Though, to be perfectly honest, "school" wasn't really what she was enjoying.

"Do you even know what class you're in?"

The voice was cool and clipped with a Dublin lilt and a teasing undertone she doubted anyone but herself or a few select others would have been able to detect. She leaned further back in her chair, keeping her eyes closed, and grinned in the direction of the voice. "Biology, yeah? Or chemistry? Some science."

Artemis, probably still sitting at the desk behind her even though their class had been dismissed a full minute ago, snorted derisively at her. "You're hopeless," he informed her.

Her grin widened. "I know." She opened her eyes, twisting to face him and straddling her chair. "Don't pretend you don't love it."

He rolled his eyes at her but smiled. Then he stood, adjusting the strap of his bag. "Come on, then. We told Connor and Liz we'd meet them for lunch."

She sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Can't we wait just a few more minutes? I love my sister dearly, but if I have to hear her complaining anymore today…" She trailed off and throttled the air in front of her.

Artemis chuckled, now standing next to her chair. "It can't be that bad."

"You want to bet?" Viola asked acidly, twisting her upper body to grab her own bag off her desk. "You'd think she and Sam have been separated for months the way she goes on. It's only been a week! And it's not as though he doesn't drive down to see her every other day."

"True," the boy said calmly, waiting for her to organize her belongings and stand, "but that is still quite an adjustment from seeing each other all day, every day. And-" he added, raising an eyebrow. "I think you are using this irritation to mask the fact that you also miss Sam."

Viola pulled a face at him as they walked toward the door. "Well, aren't you clever," she muttered.

"Yes, actually."

She tried to scowl at him, but the way her lips were twitching up into a smile ruined it. "Cheeky," she told him, bumping into him lightly.

He gave her a charming smirk that made her breath flutter and her heart melt. "Don't pretend you don't love it."

She laughed, shaking her head as they made their way to the school cafeteria. "Why do I put up with you?" she bemoaned teasingly, casting her eyes heavenward.

"Because no one else would put up with you," he answered promptly.

Viola was actually stunned for a moment. She quirked an eyebrow at him, lips curving up at the corners. "Impressively quick on the uptake," she praised as they found a table far from the chatter of the rest of their classmates. "Well done. Looks like I'm rubbing off on you."

"God help us all." The new voice was accompanied by the scraping sound of a chair being yanked out as the newcomer plopped himself into it.

"No one asked you're opinion, Connor," Viola told her brother primly. Then she frowned at him and reached for the blond mop on top of his head. "Jesus, do you even own a comb?" she demanded, trying to sort the mess out.

Her brother tucked away from her ministrations, grumbling, "Yes, Mum. Could you just leave it?"

"Oh dear, seems I've come in at a bad moment." Viola didn't even bother to greet Lizzie as her sister took a seat, too busy trying to clamber after Connor while he attempted to escape her fingers. "Do I even want context?" she asked, to no one in particular, apparently.

"I'm not sure if context even helps, with your siblings," Artemis responded, fondly exasperated.

Liz laughed. "Yeah, that's probably true."

Connor made a noise of supreme frustration and Viola backed off, raising her hands peaceably. "Fine, fine, I give up. Look like an un-groomed slacker for all I care." She turned back to the table and saw that her siblings had grabbed enough food for all four of them. "Thanks, guys," she said before tucking in. Whatever else could be said about the snooty private school, the food was at least pretty good.

Connor and Lizzie immediately started chatting, the girl's cheerful nature and her brother's wry humor drawing Artemis into the conversation. Viola watched them with a small smile. Who would have thought, when she first met the boy at the start of term, that they would end up here?

"Vi? Earth to Vi."

She blinked and refocused on her sister, who was frowning at her. She offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I totally spaced. What is it?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic sigh. "I swear, I don't know how you function as a proper human being sometimes," she muttered.

"I have several theories on that, actually," Artemis put in casually. Viola glowered at him and mouthed, Traitor. He simply smiled innocently, an expression he'd been getting much better at in the past few weeks.

Connor and Liz chuckled and Viola switched her glare to them. "Anyway," she said pointedly to her sister. "You were saying?"

"I was asking Arty if he wouldn't mind pulling some strings to see if we could get home this weekend," Liz replied. Viola had to bite back a grin at the expression on Artemis's face when she used the nickname. "But only if we all want to go." Her exasperated frustration with Viola was gone now, replaced with a pleading tone and puppy eyes.

Now it was Viola's turn to sigh and roll her eyes. "Oh, fine," she conceded, as though it were a huge sacrifice. "I suppose if you must-"

"Oh, yay! Thank you!" the other girl practically vaulted across the table to throw her arms around her neck. Viola laughed, ignoring the other students who turned to stare at the commotion.

"Jeeze, calm down," she chuckled, pushing Liz back into her place. Her sister bounced excitedly in her seat, beaming.

"I don't want to make a habit of this, just so we're clear," Artemis put in gently, raising his eyebrows.

"Yessir!" Lizzie gave him a jaunty mock salute and a cheeky grin. He rolled his eyes, and once again Viola found herself smiling.

xXx

As had been happening, the rest of the day's classes seemed to simultaneously fly and drag by. It was a bizarre sort of torture, attention so focused on when class would end that he didn't even notice it passing. Of course, this phenomenon arouse from the fact that he didn't share any afternoon classes with Viola- a fact he had resolutely ignored until the day before when Connor pointed it out with a smug grin during their last class of the day.

So he determined to actually pay attention when he took his seat beside Viola's brother and prepared to listen to the advanced calculus lecture.

Which he knew already, of course. But he was going to pay attention anyway.

Hm. Seemed it had only been three minutes since the professor had entered the room.

Wait no, twenty-nine. How had that happened?

Oh, that was actually a good point. He knew Connor was bright, but his questions were proving he could be incredibly shrewd. Who knew? Well, now he knew they were both paying attention.

"And that concludes our lesson for the day-"

Wait, what? He blinked and looked around to see his classmates crowding toward the door. He glanced to the side and was met with Connor's smug grin. He narrowed his eyes.

"Daydreaming?" the other boy asked before he could open his mouth.

"No," Artemis replied resolutely, standing and grabbing his bag. Connor chuckled and rose as well.

"Hey, no judgement…Thinking about a girl?"

Artemis turned to glare at him and he laughed. "Boy, you are so smitten it's making me ill."

His glare intensified. "I am not smitten. I do not do smitten."

"Sure you don't," Connor laughed as they entered the hallway.

"He doesn't what?"

They both turned to see Viola pushing herself off the opposite wall- which she must have been leaning against. She walked toward them with a smile and Artemis felt his lips curving in response. Then he felt Connor's smirk boring a hole into the side of his head and tried to force the smile away. "Nothing," he responded calmly.

"I'm just giving your boyfriend a hard time, as is my familial duty," Connor said with a cheeky grin.

Viola chuckled and Artemis glared at her, muttering, "Traitor."

She beamed up at him as they began to walk down the hall toward the courtyard. "Turn-about is fair play," she said in a sing-song voice. Then she leaned around him slightly to address her brother, "Oh, and by the way, I'm not covering your butt when he decides to get back at you."

Artemis laughed and Connor whined about a lack of sibling loyalty. They stepped out into the chill January air and Viola shivered. Unconsciously, Artemis looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. She smiled up at him.

Connor made a soft gagging noise and Artemis felt his face go red. Both he and Viola looked at the other boy, who rolled his eyes at them. "I'm gonna grab Liz and head to the dorms, she said she wanted some help with maths. You two continue being sickeningly adorable." He waved and loped off across the courtyard.

Viola shook her head with a wry smile. "And that's as subtle as he gets," she said with a chuckle, looking back up at Artemis. "He wasn't giving you too hard a time, was he?" She started walking again.

"No," Artemis said with a small smile as he followed.

"Oh good." She sat on the edge of an empty fountain and grinned at him. "Not that I was gonna do anything about it, but-"

He sat next to her and bumped her shoulder with his, making her sway and grip the lip of the fountain for support, laughing lightly. "How do I put up with you?" he grumbled, though he had to work to keep the smile off his face.

"Because you love me?" she suggested, eyes dancing as she leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek.

He felt his face heat and looked away, giving a muffled murmur in response. Viola laughed again and leaned back, tilting her face to the sky. "I know we've only been gone a week, but it'll be good to go home." She smiled at him softly. "It's really sweet of you to humor Liz like this, thanks."

He shrugged, just a bit distracted by the way the pale summer sunlight highlighted the ivory column of her throat. "Of course. It's not as though it's any real trouble, anyway."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Just take the complement, would you?" she mock scolded, shoving at him lightly.

He gave a half smile. "I'm afraid that's a concept I'm not entirely familiar with."

Viola sat up straighter and pursed her lips. "Oi, I don't like it when you talk like that-"

"Hey, Sommers!"

They both started in surprise and twisted to see two of their classmates approaching across the empty courtyard. Both were boys, and the one who had called gave Viola a wave and a grin. He had sandy blond hair and brown eyes that he couldn't seem to remove from the girl as he and his companion- a redhead with more freckles than not- came toward them.

Viola frowned slightly in confusion as they stopped in front of them. "Um, hi…Shannon, right? We have Lit together."

The blond nodded, still grinning at her. For some reason, Artemis found his eyes narrowing at the other boy. He was familiar in a vague sort of way, as were most of his classmates. "Yeah," he said, evidently unaware of Artemis's presence.

She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue. When he didn't (his eyes lingering on her in a way that made Artemis's teeth clench), she cleared her throat and said, "Ah, did you need something?" She looked over to Artemis pointedly. "We were just talking, actually-"

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," the boy- Shannon- said, then continued without a pause, "But see, Michael and I have a bet going on, and we need you to help us settle it." He indicated the boy with him, who was now grinning as well.

He didn't know why, but Artemis did not like where this was going. Viola- evidently of a similar mindset- was now frowning at the other two boys. "Look, I really don't have time for this," she said, voice clipped and short.

"It'll just take a moment," Michael cut in, smirking. "See, this is actually a debate among our mates, you know? What with you being new, and showing up with these sibs of yours out of the blue, there's bound to be rumors." He spread his hands. "We just want to know the truth."

"So," his friend jumped in. "Exactly how rich does a guy have to be before you'll shack up with him? I mean, you've got Fowl, here-"

Artemis leapt to his feet, rage burning in his chest, but Viola grabbed his wrist and held him back. "It's not worth it," she murmured, anger plain in her eyes though she tried to hide it. "C'mon, Artemis-"

"Now hang on a second." Shannon cut her off, stepping in front of her to block her path. Without making the conscious decision to move, Artemis was between them. Irrational anger churned in his stomach and he glared at the other boy, who was of a height with him so their gaze's met on the same level.

"I believe," he said softly, voice icy, "that you should back away. Sir."

For a moment Shannon seemed startled. Then that damned smirk was back in place. "Or what?"

"Honestly. I thought Butler taught you better than that."

Artemis hissed in a breath as Viola tugged on the bandage she was wrapping around his hand. "Well, it could have been worse."

She glared at him and gave the bandage a vicious yank that made him wince. "Idiot," she muttered. "You've probably broken a knuckle. God, I can't believe you just…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

He couldn't believe it either, really. If he was being honest, the incident was rather a blur. However, the ache in his hand seemed to confirm that he had, in fact, punched his classmate Shannon on the jaw. Which Michael apparently took offense to, though when he tried to react Viola kneed him hard enough in the groin to have him join his friend on the ground. Then she had grabbed his arm and pulled him after her to the infirmary.

"We should have just walked away. Why didn't you just walk away?" Her movements stilled, loosely grasping his hand between hers.

"I don't know," Artemis lied, bowing his head slightly to fix his gaze on his knees. He was embarrassed to have lost control in such a way.

Viola sighed. "You-" She stopped and was silent for so long that he looked up at her. She was biting her lip, gaze fixed on his hand in hers. "You were an idiot," she said finally, and he winced again. He really was. "But thank you."

He blinked and looked up again to see her now smiling gently. "What?"

Her smile widened. "I do not in any way condone you punching random jackasses for their jackassery…but I know you wouldn't have done it if he hadn't said that stuff about me. So thank you." She leaned forward and kissed him softly.

He kissed her back, more on reflex than anything else. When she pulled away, her smile had turned mischievous. She began to giggle, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What?" he demanded.

She shook her head, laughing outright now. "God, you are in so much trouble when we get home."